At first you smile amusingly...

Then turn away expecting not to return..

Browse through the treasures on the burdened shelves.

Come back and now pick it up.

Run your fingers on the shiny silver cover.

Read the abstract.

Then keep it back. After much wrangling, I purchase

"The Curious Case of 221 B--The Secret Notebooks of John H. Watson, MD" by Partha Basu.

I am a Sherlock Holmes fan--maybe not the ultimate fan nevertheless a fan. I've read the Complete Works umpteen number of times and am still filled with foreboding at the Hound; marvel at the peeling away of the Study in Scarlet and smirk at the pathetic bufoon in the Blue Carbuncle. Enough rambling.

The Curious Case of 221 B etc etc shifts your perpective to the female characters. Partha Basu creates rounded personalities in Irene Adler, Frances Carfax, Kitty Winter, Gemma Gold aka Violet Smith. These non-consequential heroines who have been dismissed as scheming or naive (with the exception of Irene Adler) have got their say back at Holmes. The notebooks are engaging while the narrative tries to build up stamina.

Enjoyed the read.

Cheers!